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Handel spokesman: Criticism on furloughs is payback for ’sex, lies and lobbyists’

11:00 am February 10, 2010, by jgalloway

Over at Gold Dome Live, my AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin reports that the chairman of the House appropriations committee this morning called out former secretary of state Karen Handel – now a Republican candidate for governor — for refusing to order her employees to take furloughs:

House budget writers this morning said former Secretary of State Karen Handel refused to take furlough days as mandated by lawmakers and the governor, a situation they plan to rectify now.

While going over the proposed 2010 amended state budget, Appropriations Committe chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans) said he has been working with current Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Kemp has agreed to take the required six furlough days, Harbin said….

Handel, Harbin said, “had not taken any furloughs in her department, since she was finding those savings elsewhere. But we’re telling everyone to take furloughs because we’re trying to find savings in this difficult environment.”

…Harbin’s comments caused a murmur in the massive Capitol committee room and prompted several questions from other lawmakers.

Handel spokesman Dan McLagan said the GOP candidate had made no secret that she hadn’t followed the Legislature’s demands for furloughs.

In fact, poking through a recording of last Saturday’s forum of candidates for governor, sponsored by the Georgia Christian Alliance, we found Handel saying this:

“We have been managing by crisis with our budget for far too long. When I came in as secretary of state, the very first thing I did was address the budget issue. We cut the agency by nearly 20 percent. We did not furlough a single individual, because I understood that we needed to prioritize within that agency….

“Across-the-board cuts do not make sense. They are not in the best interest of the people. We need to prioritize the mission-critical components of our budget.”

McLagan characterized the morning’s comments by the House appropriations chairman as payback for Handel’s “sex, lies and lobbyists” criticism of the Legislature last year. “It seems to me that Mr. Harbin is still stinging from the Legislature getting called out on ethics,” he said.

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19 comments Add your comment

GoKaren

February 10th, 2010
11:09 am

Very interesting. Handel implements zero based budgeting in her agency, implements long term budget cuts, and the legislature dings her for not using gimmicks like furloughs.

She should be recognized for her leadership ability.

oldtimer

February 10th, 2010
11:12 am

I feel every department, local, state, federal ought to be required to cut bugets by 10%. I have had to do that with my family budget. If they cut spending, then next year cut agin and cut taxes maybe will come out of this mess. Government is too bloated. if she cut her budget 20% then maybe her department ddoes not need the days off.

The Snark

February 10th, 2010
11:19 am

Before you get too excited about Karen Handel’s “leadership ability,” you should talk to some of the people who regularly work with regulatory boards, voting regulation, etc. She made a shambles of her office within months, and it now cannot carry out basic responsibilities. Anyone who thinks that “government is too bloated” in our state knows nothing about government. You can’t name a department of Georgia government that doesn’t rank at or near the bottom of staff and budget per capita when compared to other states.

Cutty

February 10th, 2010
11:41 am

Snark- Some are just using Tea Party talking points and nothing more.

Road Scholar

February 10th, 2010
12:15 pm

While I have had minimal dalings with the SOS office, I have not had issues with its performance. I applaud Handel’s actions in streamlining the office. But couldn’t more be saved with the furloughs? If other state offices are furloughing, share the pain!

Jack from Sandy Springs

February 10th, 2010
12:25 pm

Handel still should have taken the furlough days as an example and to show she was sharing in the sacrifices with other state employees. I like her in many ways but feel she is too arrogant at times which may just be a symptom of her insecurities. She did not do a good job at Fulton County largely because of her demeanor and know it all attitude. If she can get past these issues, she will be a wonderful Governor.

General Sherman

February 10th, 2010
12:34 pm

It goes with the territory,Semper FI.

James

February 10th, 2010
12:35 pm

@oldtimer – GA agencies have cut across the board, just as you have in your family and I have in mine. Furloughs are just a part of those cuts. There have been layoffs, service reductions, furloughs, maintenance deferments and wholesale cancellation of many, may projects. There will be more as well.

I think it is wrong to mandate which measure agencies should take such as furloughs. Instead the department heads should be provided with the funding available and be expected to run their agency/business accordingly. Furloughs do not make sense in all cases and it is a vast oversimplification to think otherwise.

Furloughs are a red herring on the grand scale of things. I agree with “GoKaren.” If Handel found the cuts and came in on budget, who cares how she went about it?

tc

February 10th, 2010
12:39 pm

the public wants reduced taxes, but they want services……fickle. after getting lines down at driver services, i wonder how long the line waits will be now.

i think now is time for compulsory government service either military or civilian for young adults. drive the cost of government down, teach some life lessons, and besides there probably are not enough jobs to go around as we continually get more efficient thru technology.

probably be good to reduce illegal population too; buy american etc….

Name One

February 10th, 2010
12:56 pm

Wasn’t Ben Harbin the guy who got out of his DUI? Ben was far from his home and family that night. Nice to be able to pull strings and get out of a criminal charge, when the average person would have been busted.

Wounded Warrior

February 10th, 2010
1:32 pm

Karen believes the rules apply to others, but not her. We already have alot of lawmakers under the Gold Dome…i.e. let us raise more taxes, but we don’t have to pay ANY TAXES.

Karen has a GED, and now how will that bode for the school system???

Churchill's MOM

February 10th, 2010
1:56 pm

Handle may not be the best person to be governor but she sure is the best of the ones we can vote for.

The Late Maynord Jackson

February 10th, 2010
2:00 pm

This Handel girl is sure not the pick of the Jackson Machine, She is just too honest for the Jackson Machine. We like the 3 men much better because we can work with them, in fact the Ox, Deal & Johnson could fit directly in to the machine with a little make up.

Vote Roy Barnes EARLY & OFTEN..

Churchill's MOM

February 10th, 2010
2:06 pm

http://www.peachpundit.com/2010/02/10/ben-harbin-attacks-karen-handel-for-not-taking-the-easy-way-out/

Guess What

February 10th, 2010
2:59 pm

If the rules don’t apply to Karen Handel, I guess Mike Beatty doesn’t think they apply to him either….just because he isn’t running for office, will Harbin forgive him for no furloughs? Seems a little fishy if only Handel is attacked!

Phil

February 10th, 2010
3:00 pm

SOS Office is not the only state department to not take furloughs, see Dept Community Affairs, etc. Why is Handel being singled out???

Toothpick Rex

February 10th, 2010
5:58 pm

Its great to see elected leaders fighting over ways to SAVE money. Bravo! (unlike Dems in DC who just can’t stimulate themselves enough)

My guess this wasn’t by design.

As a former senator you’d think Kemp would have a better pulse on the legislature. I’m guessing someone dropped the ball big time for this little scuffle to make its way into the paper…

JR

February 10th, 2010
10:41 pm

Handel said on the news this evening that she cut 31 employees from her department. She did not take a pay cut nor a furlough day. No other employees took a furlough days either. So she balanced her budget on the backs of those 31 people, who may be, for all we know, still unemployed. Now that’s what I call leadership! This woman should not be allowed anywhere near the governor’s office. For those of you gloating about her sterling qualities, I wonder if you would feel the same way if it were you or a family member who had been laid off. A person, such as this, who is given to smug, arbitrary and capricious judgments has no business in public office.

Jack Stilton

February 11th, 2010
1:55 pm

The state was nice enough to make their budget problem my budget problem! Thanks Ga for the furloughs, no raises, cutting my benefits and removing my homestead exemption tax break!